Bloomberg blasts gun 'gibberish'

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg chastised President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney for their “gibberish” Wednesday after the pair responded to a question about gun violence by discussing the need for strong families and education.

“I think what we did get was a perfect example of obfuscation and very little honesty,” Bloomberg said Wednesday at a press conference, according to Capital New York. “If you think about it, the president, as I remember, said he wants more conversation. Well, we’ve been saying this for quite a while now. We don’t need more talk. We need some leadership. Governor Romney said he brought both sides of the debate together. Well, why isn’t he trying to do that right now?”

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“Then they had all this gibberish talking about education, that education is the solution to stop the killing,” the mayor continued. “My recollection is that if the Aurora theater shooter, he was a Ph.D. candidate, OK? And Virginia Tech, the massacre was committed by a student at a first-class university … The solution is to prevent all people who shouldn’t have guns from getting them.”

Bloomberg’s comments were echoed by Stephen Barton, who was was shot in the neck and face during the movie theater massacre that left 12 dead in Aurora, Colo. Barton starred in a television ad before the first debate in Denver, asking the candidates to outline plans against gun violence.

“The demands of 270,000 Americans for President Obama and Governor Romney to address gun violence broke through during tonight’s debate,” Barton said in a statement. “I am glad that a concerned citizen asked about guns — but sadly, there were no real answers. We are going to keep demanding a specific plan from both candidates to end gun violence.”

Barton has been working with the Bloomberg-backed Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

Asked by an undecided voter about his administration’s failure to renew the assault weapons ban, Obama said he shared her “belief that weapons that were designed for soldiers in war theaters don’t belong on our streets,” but also praised the 2nd Amendment and called for a “comprehensive strategy” to prevent gun violence, including increased economic opportunity for young people.

Romney — who has been endorsed by the NRA — said he wasn’t “in favor of new pieces of legislation on — on guns and taking guns away or making certain guns illegal.” He shifted to talking about two-parent families, and said decreasing poverty would decrease gun violence. Answering a follow-up question from moderator Candy Crowley, Romney claimed an assault weapons ban he signed in Massachusetts was supported by both gun control and gun rights advocates. Obama accused Romney of favoring a ban “before he was against it.”